Cardiff Met SU Annual Report 2022-23

Annual Report 2022-23

Contents 3

CEO Introduction

4

About Us

5

Year In Numbers

6

Year In Review

8

Welcome 2022

10

Representation

12

Elections

14

Celebrating Successes

16

Student Activities

22

Events

28

Fairtrade

29

SU Advice & Support

30

National Student Survey (NSS)

32

SU President Conclusion

34

2022/23 Actions

CEO Introduction The Students’ Union annual report is an

engagement, the team have been creative

opportunity to pause, reflect, and to thank the

and courageous within their respective areas,

many people whose dedication and hard work

to drive awareness and deliver impact.

has supported the SU throughout the year.

Without the knowledge and passion of our

As we move forward, there is much to be

staff, students, and trustees, both the volume

optimistic about, with key reviews initiated

and impact of our work would be much

within the year to drive forward enhancements

reduced. As with any year, there has been

to

diff icult moments, but the determination

democratic processes. Through this, further

and togetherness of all involved in the SU has

work on our people and culture, and through

ensured we’ve had a successful 2022/23.

the creation of a new organisational strategy,

our

organisational

governance

and

we have an opportunity to reshape the SU to This was my f irst year as SU Chief Executive

better meet the needs of our membership.

Off icer and I’m incredibly proud to lead the

We must do this with students, with staff, and

team who have delivered on the initiatives

with other key partners, in a transparent and

you will read about within this report. In a

inclusive manner, so that together we build

year where we aimed to make the SU ‘ more

the very best version of Cardiff Met SU, both

visible, in more places, more often’ to improve

for now, and for the future.

member understanding of their SU and drive

Will Fuller Students’ Union CEO

3

About us

We

are

Cardiff

Metropolitan

Students’

Union (SU for short). We are separate body and

organisation

to

Cardiff

Metropolitan

University, and we are here to support you through your student journey at Cardiff Met. We provide you opportunities for expression of your opinion through the rep structures, communicate

with

the

university

and

external bodies on your behalf, and facilitate recreational

student

activities

such

as

Societies and Sport Clubs. We help you boost your employability through the Cardiff Met Award, and we provide support and advice to any members in need. Through all this, we aim to make your welfare & experience at Cardiff Met the best it can be.

4

Year In Numbers SU Societies Members 755 SU Student Reps 413 SU Advice & Support 258

Cardiff Met Award 93

SU Sport Members 1,680

We were able to engage 3,200

We

students

2,033 students voting in the SU

in

our

membership

have

had

phenomenal

elections in 2022/23, biggest

services!

turnout since 2017.

3

of

our

biggest

events

The

SU

engaged 8,069 students! These

Freshers’

consisted

giving

of

the

Freshers’

has

sold

Fortnight incoming

over

700

bands, students

Fayre, Ref reshers’ Fayre and

great experiences during their

Varsity.

welcome.

5

Year In Review

The SU initiated three key organisational reviews

this

year,

which

included

the

Governance & Democracy Review, Health & Safety Review, and an HR Review, all of which were aimed at improving the effectiveness of the SU and improving your experience as our member. Work continues on two of the reviews, whilst the Governance & Democracy Review has now concluded with all its f indings available to read here.

How was the Governance and Democracy review completed, and what it did tell us?

As part of the review, crucial staff members of the SU and University have been interviewed by an external agency – GGI (Good Governance Institute) to establish the basis of the review.

Student focus groups and rep focus groups were held where they dived into the issues you faced while engaging with the SU democracy, and what your expectations were.

6

Governance The SU is governed by the Board of Trustees,

Changes to the board composition was also

currently consisting of 2 elected sabbatical

suggested, with the removal of the SU CEO,

off icers,6 School Reps, the SU CEO and 2

and

external trustees, and functions with one sub-

trustees, the removal of the School Reps as

committee. One of the major recommendations

trustees and designing a process to select

is for the board to create purpose and strategy

student trustees in the future, allowing for

that sets out the values, aims and outcomes

more independent oversight.

with

the

addition

of

more

external

of the organisation, to give clear direction on what the SU purpose and direction.

Democracy The review concluded that 2 full-time student

Changes

off icers is too few to appropriately represent

immediate effect include the removal of the

the diverse membership that we seek to

Lead Reps f rom the SU structure. This puts

we represent. It has been recommended to

bigger emphasis on the School Rep. The SU

increase the amount to 4 sabbaticals starting

will need to closely monitor this to assess

in 2024 /25, with distinct remits for the 4

whether the current structure can function

roles. There has been recommendation to see

effectively, or if an additional school rep roles/

a SU President, and 3 Vice-Presidents with

staff support roles are required.

that

will

be

implemented

with

areas of : Education, Welfare and Community, and Activities to be introduced. The SU will

Other major changes you wanted to see

be

to

is creation of an online portal, where you

determine if these continue to be the remits

can leave feedback at any point, or give

our members want to see going forward.

suggestions to your full-time and part-time

undertaking

further

focus

groups

reps on areas to explore, with ultimately Further enhancements for the academic year

creating a student-voice forum. In 2023/24

2024 /25 included changes in the Part-Time

the SU will work towards the creation of these,

Off icer roles, changing them f rom activity

giving you more opportunities to have your

based to more liberation based representative

voices heard!

groups, which we aim to deliver in conjunction with the new roles of full-time off icers, to ensure the remits are clear, and that they cover all areas of representation.

7

Welcome 2022

In September 2022, we have welcomed over 13,000 students back on campus. We were pleased to see many new students beginning their journey at Cardiff Met, as well as many returning students who did not previously have

the

opportunity

to

experience

the

extracurricular activities or even welcome activities due to the impact of Covid-19.

The SU has printed 3,000 of our Ul timate Freshers’ Guide. For the f irst time, the SU has been part of the move-in weekend, being part of your experience f rom the moment you arrived to University halls, telling you about the opportunities and services available to you!

We

held

our

annual

Freshers’

hosting a series of 14 700

students

wristband,

events, with over

purchasing

making

Fortnight,

new

the

Freshers’

memories,

and

meeting new f riends and becoming part of the Cardiff Met community.

8

Freshers’ Fayre

ReFreshers’

We kicked off the academic year with our

Fo r th e se co n d ti m e , we have o rga n is ed

Freshers’ Fayre, which was a one-day event

th e Re f re sh e rs’ Fay re i n te rm 2 , g i vin g our

attracting over 100 stalls f rom Societies, Sport

Januar y e ntr y stud e nts o p p o r tuni ty to f in d

Clubs, the SU, University Services and external

o ut ab o ut th e SU a c ti v i ti e s an d ser vices .

vendors. We were able to welcome more

Wi th ove r 3 0 stalls, we m ana g e d to get 1,167

than 5,600 students! On top of the Freshers’

o f o u r stu de n ts to atte n d an d g e t en ga ged

Fayre, your President and Vice-President were

i n n ew a c ti v i ti e s!

holding welcome lunches along with the School Reps and Part-Time Off icers, which were held throughout the week. They raised the visibility of their respective roles, and how students can leave feedback.

9

Representation We were able to recruit 385 course reps

We want to thank all 413 of our reps for always

and 16 lead reps, who were led by the SU

bringing student issues to the foref ront of

President, Venky Gonavaram, and the Vice-

agenda, and to thank all of the university staff

President, Natalia-Mia Roach, and supported

who were receptive to the student feedback

by team of 6 School Reps and 5 Part-Time

in one of the most challenging times higher

Off icers.

education has faced.

As

previously

mentioned

in

the

report, the democracy structure of the SU is currently underdeveloped, and has faced

Although we are thankful for all the changes,

staff changeovers resulting in diff iculties in

we were able to make, we are also mindful we

delivery and content creation of the training

still have great scope for improvement of our

and support to the reps this year. The positive

representation systems at Cardiff Met SU. The

outcome is that the SU now has a dedicated

democracy review has highlighted many areas

staff support to the representative structures

of improvement, and we are looking forward

for the f irst time!

to implementing these changes over the next 3 years. We want to create spaces where you

The

representative

played

have a chance to leave your feedback, and to

a signif icant role this year, as we faced a

discuss your ideas. We are aware we do not

high level and scale of issues students were

currently

handling. These included coming back f rom

happen as a result of your feedback better,

covid, the cost-of-living crisis, a local and

and by implementing changes every year, you

national housing crisis, transport issues, UCU

will see improvements in your representative

strikes and many more.

systems in next few years.

Your representatives have worked closely

There are many more issues we were not able

with university staff at all levels, f rom school

to solve, f rom the housing crisis, to achieving

staff, professional ser vices depar tments and

more student and society space in Llandaff,

university

they

or having a bar, and having more sporting

were able to implements many changes to

facilities to be able to facilitate more social

your experience.

sports in both Cyncoed and Llandaff. These are

senior

structure

has

management ,

and

communicate

the

changes

that

the issues at foref ront of all our discussions, so please keep providing us with feedback and what you want to see, and we will achieve better student experience together.

10

Achievements Cost-of-living Menu

More vending

Getting university

machines and water

to change

Discounted menu

dispensers across

boundaries of

in all university

the university

’local’ students for

catering outlets,

purposes of getting

providing affordable

Addressing high

food options on

usage of campus

campus

outside opening

accommodation

hours of catering outlets

Free graduation

Warm spaces on

Keep the SU space

gowns hire for the

campus 24 /7

P Block in Llandaff

Commitment f rom

Keeping the M1

Continuing Period

university to not

services into

Dignity Campaign

raise prices of

2023/24 despite

food during the

funding cuts

f irst time

year, despite any

Funding f rom University to extend

unexpected changes

Allowing f irst 800

the campaign. Provide

in inflation

students to get

students period

discounted rate on

products during cost

bus pass by £100

of living challenges.

11

Elections

We held the annual student-off icer elections

Additionally, the nomination process was put

in March, electing your next President and

fully online this year – meaning to register an

Vice-President. Elections are one of the most

interest, you simply had to log into the SU website

important times of the year, when you get to

and sign up for the election, and f reely change

decide which ideas and candidates resonate

your manifesto and picture any time before the

with what you have been experiencing, and

deadline, and signing up for the Election meant

who should lead the SU in the upcoming year.

member of staff was immediately reaching out to offer additional support.

Results f rom the previous elections indicated that signif icant changes to the process are

The support provided to candidates, combined

required in order to attract more candidates

with longer nomination period has seen an

f rom diverse backgrounds to these roles and

increase in candidates running – 15 in total,

to drive voter turnout. This will be even more

up f rom only 3 candidates in 2022.

important once we increase the number of full-time off icers to 4 .

The SU has explored how to make the voting process easier and more appealing to students,

We were able to have an external Returning

and

Off icer, who has supported us in creating

polling stations for those voted, and we were

new processes and independent oversight of

able to use tablets at 3 voting stations, where

the delivery of the election, and providing a

students were able to vote by simply putting

valuable insight.

in their student ID, overcoming some of the

we

have

implemented

incentives

at

barriers presented by having to log into the We have updated all our election rules, and

SU website.

for the f irst time extended the nomination period to 4 weeks, allowing candidates more

We were able to achieve total of 2,033 unique

time to come across the idea of leading the

voters in the election, up f rom 520 in 2022,

SU through different events, posters and

making it the largest turnout in an SU election

communications. The SU has held multiple

since the SU began running their voting

sessions across these 4 weeks, where students

digitally in 2017.

could drop in to f ind out more about roles and receive support in running campaigns.

12

13

Celebrating Success

Sports Awards The

SU

has

received

a

combined

869

Our Sports Awards have attracted over 450

nominations across our awards, in order to

attendees,

recognise

the

the successes of our sport clubs, athletes,

by

students,

fellow

university staff!

amazing

work

student

undertaken leaders

and

acknowledging

and

celebrating

coaches and support staff. Our partnership with university’s broadcast MSc course enabled us to play a fantastic year of sport video which has raised the spirits of all our archers. As part of the awards, we received 550 number of nominations which we recognised on the night.

14

Student-Led Teaching Awards (SLTA’s)

Student Achievement Awards

Our

the

We were able to celebrate the hard work undertaken

exceptional efforts university staff are making.

by our student-led societies, society members and

This year, we have introduced new categories

our representatives in 2022/23. It led to some really

such as Student Life Award, Postgraduate

hard decisions, as we have seen a rapid expansion

Tutor

Research

across the societies! We have received 122 number

Awards and received total of 197 nominations

of nominations across the different categories. We

across these!

were able to celebrate these successes jointly with

annual

Award,

awards

and

that

recognise

Postgraduate

the Student-Led Teaching Awards, which attracted 70 attendees on the night.

15

Student Activities

SU Societies As we continue recovering f rom Covid, we are

Societies have been prominent in engaging

looking back at a year that has been busier

with students, with many having a stall in

than ever for the societies. With the ability

Freshers’ Fayre. In addition, societies have

to plan any activity, and with nearly all covid

been more active than before, with many

restrictions gone, we were able to grow to

hosting weekly events and meet ups.

42 active societies, up f rom 31 in previous year, and up to 755 society members, nearly

Just some of the society highlights of the

double the previous year ’s 386!

year: Climbing and Snow society reached new highs, with 61 and 57 number of members

The

SU

supports

societies

in

handovers,

respectively.

Met

Marketers

were

able

to

training and in supporting the delivery of

secure a collaboration with Nando’s. LGBTQIA+

their plans through dedicated staff support.

society has joined the SU during the Pride

We were able to provide handovers for more

march in Cardiff. Capture the Flag won a

societies than ever before, but also start many

hacking competition, and so much more!

new exiting societies like Yoga, Poker, Chess

16

17

Student Activities

The Cardiff Met Award We continue providing students with fur ther development Cardiff

Met

oppor tunities Award.

Through

through this

the

award,

Cardiff Met students are able to star t a personalised which

is

self- development

suppor ted

by

the

SU.

journey, It

helps

students reflect on skills learnt throughout their studies and employment , identif y areas for development and equip them with reallife employability skills.

We have had 94 students registered for the award in 2022 /23, with 41 of them completing either the main or an additional level of the Award. This year has seen the addition of the “Justice Level”, designed with suppor t f rom BSc Law staff. We have continued returning more to in-person meet ups throughout the year, which has been positively received by students. We continue to provide suppor t for the Cardiff Met Award online and through Teams,

to

students.

18

provide

fur ther

flexibility

for

SU Workshops The SU provides f ree personal development

We have had 91 students attend 10 of our

workshops, which can be attended by any

workshops, and while the engagement at

student , but continue to be predominantly

these has been great, we will trial putting some

attended by students enrolled in the Cardiff

of the workshops in 2023/24 online, to provide

Met Award. All of these have been scheduled

students with more flexible opportunities on

to be in-person workshops.

how they can engage in further development.

19

Student Activities SU Sport We have seen great engagement throughout our

This year there was much to celebrate, with

Sports Clubs this year, with 29 clubs and total of 60

20 of our BUCS teams achieving f irst place in

teams, joined and led by 1,680 students, reaching

their respective leagues, and 3 teams coming

our highest f igure yet. Although sport had been

in f irst in non-BUCS national leagues. We have

slowly returning throughout the previous year, it

been able to help 290 athletes in attending

is undeniable that with a full return of sport, we

29 events, with 36 students scoring a medal

have seen many f irst years through third years

in BUCS League and 31 scoring a medal in

and postgrads taking part in sports. New and

non-BUCS national competitions, with 15 and

returning students have been able to f ind more

13 of those bring in gold medals respectively.

about different clubs through Freshers’ Fayre.

These

achievements

show

unwavering

SU Sport has seen the return of many regular

commitment to competitive sport f rom the

activities such as BUCS Wednesdays, with some

SU, our students, off icials and coaches who

of our biggest events attracting much wider

have collectively made these achievements

audiences than ever before. We have seen

possible. It is safe to conclude the student

over 600 tickets sold for our Clash on Court

engagement in taking part in sports, or

(basketball and netball) matches, and over 3,000

coming to support your teams and f riends

tickets sold for the Cardiff Clash, two BUCS

remains at a very high level, driven by the

Super Rugby matches between Cardiff Met

amazing achievements of our sports teams

& Cardiff University held at Cardiff Arms Park

and individual athletes who help us grow the

Stadium. We were able to hold a three nations

archer family.

event to prof ile women’s and men’s rugby at Cyncoed, with over 1,500 students attending.

20

21

Sports Events

Varsity The much-anticipated return of the biggest

The attendees were given a Varsity T-shirt,

sporting event at Cardiff Met, seeing our f irst

with addition of reusable cup upon entry. It

home Varsity since 2019! The event has returned

was a unique opportunity to invoke the Archer

bigger than ever, with 3,000 students watching

spirit. It has been hugely successful event,

or competing at the event. Although the weather

despite Bath University winning overall.

was not in our favour, the atmosphere was second to none, with 24 games of our students going head-to-head with Bath University.

22

23

EDI Events

Black History Month Quiz The SU has hosted range of events throughout

For Black History Month in October, we were

this year, catered to wider range of audiences,

joined by Nubian Jak Community Trust, who

and

celebrating

created commemorative plaque and sculpture

different cultures. We were able to do this in

scheme focused on memorialising the historic

collaboration with the university, providing

contributions of Black and minority ethnic

our members with plenty of opportunities.

people in Britain and Beyond. They have

raising

awareness

and

created a quiz to teach our members more about black history in Britain.

Disability History Month Talk In collaboration with the University, we held a lecture followed by an interactive workshop held in the Atrium. Staff and students have been able to come together and celebrate the differences.

24

Pride March

It’s a Sin

Our f inal EDI event for the year has been

This was an event par t of our LGBTQ+ Histor y

a Pride March, in collaboration with the

Month, joined by Terrance Higgins’ Trust –

University

charity

and

the

LGBTQIA+

society.

It

raising

awareness

tackling

issues

has been a great way to bring many of our

regarding to HIV/AIDS , as well as by Jill

students, SU & University staff together, and

Nalder and Ruper t Whitaker, and sharing

mark the progress that has been made in

their experiences of the HIV/AIDS epidemic

Britain, and to remind ourselves how we still

during the 1980s that led to the creation of

have a long way until achieving equality.

the hit TV show.

25

International Events

International Nights

Diwali

We were able to partner up with Revolution

We immediately jumped to Diwali, festival

Bar, for unforgettable International Nights.

of lights. This even was facilitated by your

We have had two rooms where a selection of

President – Venky Gonavaram.

Af robeats, Desi and Bhangra was played all

began with a traditional Pooja ceremony,

night long, to offer our international students

followed by a delightful fashion show featuring

a space that feels more like home, and to

traditional attire. We all relished a delicious

give our UK-based students opportunity to

Indian curry feast, and the evening came alive

experience something new! The event has

with music and dance.

been a great success and will see a return in the following academic year.

26

The event

27

Fairtrade

The SU celebrated Fairtrade Fortnight, and

As part of the Fairtrade Fortnight, the SU has

our part in Cardiff Met being ranked as the

held multiple information stalls engaging

best university in the UK for sustainability in

students

People and Planet’s Green League 2022/23.

engaged in the steering group that has been

Jane Hutt MS , Minister for Social Justice has

getting restarted, supported by our staff

reached out to the SU to join us in these

member and the environmental off icer.

celebrations

and

came

to

campus

for

a

Fairtrade Quiz and chocolate tasting. The event aimed to highlight the importance of making ethical purchasing choices and the impact those choices have on a global scale.

This shows the extend of the commitment by the SU to sustainable initiatives.

28

in

Fairtrade

and

getting

them

SU Advice & Support

SU Advice and Suppor t is an independent

Aca demic year ( 1st July to 30 th Jun e)

and conf idential advice ser vice offered

Total cases suppor ted.

to all students enrolled on a Cardiff Met course, this also covers all students enrolled with our local par tners and

2016 / 17

200

international par tner organisations.

2017/ 18

247

2018/ 19

309

The ser vice offers guidance on all aspects

2019/20

229

of university life including university

2020/21

252

procedures,

procedures,

2021/22

373

housing, and student wellbeing. Our aim

2022 /23

258

academic

is to ensure that all students are fully informed of their options, are suppor ted to make decisions, and signposted to

Durin g 2022 /23 we have n oticed th e

ser vices and additional suppor t when

in crease in complexity in student cases,

needed.

often takin g lon ger tim e to suppor t an d establish th e base of th e issues. This

2 0 2 2 / 2 3 h a s s e e n a re t u r n to c a m p u s

has often been true especially wh en

and

the

oth er par ties such as parents want to

and

support

demand

for

service

the

advice

continuing

to

get involved in th e cases.

g row. We h ave s e e n a n i n c rea s e o f i n te r n a t i o n a l s t u d e n t s s t r u g g l i n g w i t h a c c o m m o d a t i o n , a n d i n s ea rc h o f p a r ttime opportunities.

29

National Student Survey (NSS) Every year, the Off ice for Students runs a

on programme level. It is important to note that

National Student Survey, where they ask all f inal

Mental Wellbeing was one of the 5 questions where

year undergraduates about their experiences

Cardiff Met has scored above the sector average.

throughout their time at the university. This year, the review methodology and a large amount

There is a singular question regarding how well the

of the questions within were changed, with the

SU represent students’ academic interest. The SU

neutral option removed. This made mapping to

has scored 50.8% in the previous year, with scoring

the previous NSS scores, with the exception of the

69.8% in the latest NSS. It is great to see the jump,

overall satisfaction question, which remained the

although we anticipate large amount was due to

same, diff icult. It is important to note that England

the removal of the neutral option.

now has slightly different set of questions, and the question of overall satisfaction is only asked in

Analysis of the f ree-text comments shows a

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

variety of themes. The positive themes focus on teaching, academic staff and experiences and

The university has scored relatively well compared to

knowledge learnt throughout the degree. The

the sector in 5 out of the 9 themes, but unfortunately

negative themes focus largely around Covid,

the overall satisfaction remained lower than average

experiences

– 73.1% compared to Welsh average of 76.7%. Given

disruption due to the strike action.

during

Covid,

and

subsequent

the new set of questions, it is challenging to draw direct comparisons to previous years. Although the

These did make up very large majority of all

overall scores for majority themes were high, Cardiff

the comments, but taking these away there

Met did score above the Welsh average in only 5

have been comments surrounding issues of

questions out of 27.

placements (cost and travel), organisational management,

timely

communications,

With more detailed analysis, we can see differences

overlapping deadlines and group work. Majority

across the different programmes, but thematically

of these comments were programme (or school)

we can see Student Voice, the Overall Satisfaction

specif ic, and there was not huge amount of

and Organisation & Management achieving score

overlap in the negative experiences of different

under 75% in half of the programmes. This aligns

students on an institutional level. The only theme

with the institutional data which shows these

that has been seen more across the institution is

3 themes are overall under 75%, as well as the

the organisational management of courses, and

Mental Wellbeing which has not been reported

timely and relevant communication f rom staff.

30

Conclusions It is really positive to see the improvement

The overall satisfaction and student voice

in the data, showing implementation of the

being low despite all the other categories

previous plan has been successful, with much

considering

lower number of students having negative

being high suggests dissatisfaction might

comments about communication, timeliness

be arising due to non-academic, or wider

of feedback and marking not being consistent.

student experiences they encounter along

the

academic

experience

their academic journeys, that is currently out The university still needs to tackle the issues in

organisational

management

of

of scope of questions asked in the NSS.

what

experiences look like across the board, and

It is recommended the SU and university

work on setting expectations with incoming

review and agree how we collectively cover

students on what their time on campus will

the feedback mechanisms and structures with

look like, and how much time they should

a focus on non-academic feedback, and to

expect in dedication to it.

review methods of closing the feedback loop.

31

SU President Conclusion Reflecting on the Union’s activity for this

In the past year students have been going

past year, I am grateful for the faith students

f rom one crisis to the next, whether it has been

put in me as your Vice-President, and now

covid, cost-of-living, housing shortages or the

President. What a year it has been.

strikes, there are too many things affecting your experience, having to work more and

Clearly, there is no shortage of incredible

more alongside their studies. Despite this, I

achievements in the last year to be proud

feel optimistic about working with students,

of, many examples of which are included in

organising and collectively achieving the change

this report, and many others in the making

you want to see.

that are not included. We have engaged with so many students, in so many other ways

To succeed when addressing these challenges,

not mentioned, such as through are venues

we have to ensure that we show an ability to

– Centro and the Shop, and having students

partner and collaborate with each other. We

visiting us in our off ices.

should use our history and previous experience as a foundation for ambitious change. Most of

I am happy to show you the impact we

all, we must show solidarity and compassion to

have achieved with Venky Gonavaram, your

our people and our community in the broadest

previous president , but I am mindful there

sense. This is my vision for this Union, and I hope

are still many changes that need to be made

that our members, our staff, our funders, and our

by the SU.

wider community and f riends share this as well.

Natalia-Mia Roach SU President 2023/24

32

2022/23 SU Actions Action The

SU

Update to

develop

a

bespoke

SU

Rep

The SU has met with the schools to discuss

recruitment and training process for FE and

the recruitment through at all levels, and

TNE partner reps

will support schools in the recruitment. It will need to be further investigated how this approach works for the FE and TNE partners.

The SU to review election processes to boost

The election process has been reviewed and

turnout, support the candidates and raise the

immediate changes have been implemented,

understanding of elections.

boosting the turnout by over 1,500 unique voters.

The

SU

to

formalise

the

inclusion

of

a

The SU has worked with the PGR rep to start

Postgraduate Student Rep to better represent

embedding them in the structures, but in

the voice of PGR students.

light

of

the

Governance

and

Democracy

review will need to rethink where the PGR representation will sit.

The SU to further promote the SU School Reps

The promotion has gone really well, with

within their respective schools and the school-

the ability to have the reps on screens

based SU Rep system to raise awareness of

throughout the year, and in better awareness

student voice.

of the school reps.

The SU to continue the growth of SU Societies

The SU was able to nearly double the society

across both campuses to improve the sense of

memberships, making positive steps towards

student community.

achieving a bigger sense of belonging.

33

2022/23 University Actions Action The

Update

University

#NotAnExcuse

to

continue

campaign

into

to

embed

student

life,

The University has embedded the campaign in wide range of resources, and continued in

sharing the campaign across the academic year.

supporting the campaign.

The University to develop spaces within both

The University has created some temporary

campuses for social activity where SU Society,

arrangements to allow for some space to be

volunteering and other student led activity

dedicated to societies. However, this space will

can take place.

not be available in the next year, and the issue of space remains and we still need resolutions for students who are currently with us.

The University to work with the Students’

Unfortunately, due to resource available to

Union

summer

the SU there has been only limited capacity in

transition activities targeted at supporting

which it supported the University’s transition

the transition of groups with high suspension

activities.

on

a

series

of

in-person

and withdrawal rates.

The SU has included the previous set of actions. However, the report will focus on the impact of the SU going forward, and as such the SU will not be producing actions directly f rom the report, but rather use the information provided in the report in planning and improving the SU throughout the year.

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